Leaders gather to discuss suicide prevention in teens

Wednesday

Jan 11, 2017 at 10:30 AM

“Social media is the worst thing ever to happen to the public schools. When we were kids, if we had something to say to someone, we had to say it in person. Now, you can sit in your room, 10 feet tall and bulletproof, and say whatever you want.”

By Matt DeYoungThe Grand Haven Tribune

More than 50 community leaders, health care professionals and concerned citizens attended Monday’s Town Hall Meeting on Suicide.

The event, hosted by Extended Grace, brought together more than a dozen panelists to discuss suicide and mental illness in Grand Haven and the surrounding communities.

Michael Pyne, who chairs the Muskegon County Suicide Prevention Coalition, said these conversations aren’t easy to have, and many fear that talking about suicide leads to more people considering taking their own life. That’s simply not true, he said.

“Talking about suicide does not lead to suicide,” Pyne said. “The opposite, in fact, is true.”

That’s the hope of all involved in Monday’s forum, which took place at the Grand Haven Community Center.

Suicide hits very close to home for Grand Haven High School Principal Tracy Wilson, who was one of the panelists. Her father died by suicide, and she noted that six students from Grand Haven Area Public Schools in grades 7-12 have died by suicide in the past few years.

“That means dozens of others have attempted suicide,” Wilson said.

It should be noted that the term “committed suicide” is frowned upon, as the word “committed” implies a crime or an illegal activity.

The Grand Haven school district has made many efforts to help address the frightening rise in teenage suicide by creating several different groups and organizations within the school — Bucs Above Bullying; Live, Laugh, Love; and the Love a Buc and Help a Buc programs. Wilson is also a co-founder of the Mental Health Awareness Advisory Council.

Wilson said she receives a few “thank you” notes each month from parents who have been able to seek out help after their kids exhibited warning signs of suicide.

Another panelist, Spring Lake High School Principal Mike Gilchrist, blames stress and social media as two factors that have led to an increase in suicidal thoughts in teenagers.

“Social media is the worst thing ever to happen to the public schools,” he said. “When we were kids, if we had something to say to someone, we had to say it in person. Now, you can sit in your room, 10 feet tall and bulletproof, and say whatever you want.”

Other panelists at Monday’s meeting were Sandi Stasko from Community Mental Health; Brent VanTol from Pine Rest; Capt. Mark Bennett of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department; Jeff Elhart, whose brother committed suicide; Sean Huntington and Beth Egge of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance; Sarah Lewakowski from Tri-Cities Ministries; and David Neal from North Ottawa Community Hospital.

Neal shared that the Grand Haven hospital’s new emergency room has integrated resources for dealing with mental health issues in addition to physical injuries.

Perhaps the most impassioned speech came from Huntington. As someone who suffers from mental illness, he brought a sobering, first-person perspective to the conversation.

“Peer support can be so important for someone going through depression, anxiety, bipolar — all of which can lead to that critical point,” Huntington said. “We know you care, but that non-judgmental attitude we get when talking with each other about these issues is so important.”

“We see how frustrated you are, and how much we’re hurting you, and that only makes it worse,” he said.

If you’re considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, and a crisis counselor will respond to you almost immediately.